Welcome

Welcome to the Riverside Lawn Bowling Club. Our Club is situated in Kamloops’s jewel, Riverside Park. The Club was formed in 1922 and greens ready for play in 1923.

The nice part of our Club is you are not obligated to come every day. We do a random draw according to how many people show up. There are no set teams for social bowling. For those with a more competitive spirit, there are Club, interclub, provincial and national tournaments to strive for.

The area on which the green is situated was supposedly presented to the Club with a handshake, no formal documentation ever having been recorded. The area had, according to one of our Club’s Life Members, originally been a slough, which had been filled in with all kinds of materials including old train engines and boxcars.

It wasn’t until the following year that the women were allowed to form their own Club. The women would be accepted, at that time, as associate members and permitted to bowl only when the men were not using the green. The Club is now gender neutral.

Although the greens have never moved, the clubhouse was a separate building to the east of the greens until 1975 when the Club moved to its present location in Heritage house.

There are many versions of lawn bowling but the game we play originated in England. It was the English who spread the game throughout the colonies of the British Empire. Lawn Bowling popularity still remains highest in the Commonwealth countries with Great Britain, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and Canada being the main centres of the game today. Over 30 countries compete in the World Bowls Championships, which are held very four years. In Canada, lawn bowling is played socially and competitively in clubs from coast to coast.

Lawn Bowling is a game of skill that can be played by all age groups, both by those with a keen interest in competition and those who just enjoy the exercise and social aspect of the game. Physical strength plays a very small part in this game. Skill and strategy are the real factors.

Once again, welcome to the Riverside Lawn Bowling Club. We look forward to meeting you on the green!